Glorious Appearing
by Malinorn
Summary: Events right after Armageddon, the 11th book in the series. Written during the waiting period between 11 & 12. The Unity Army is about to close in on Petra. PG for safety and because LB is not a children's book anyway.


**Glorious Appearing**

_(With respect to LaHaye & Jenkins. I don't own the characters in Left Behind, etc., etc., etc. This is a work of pure fan fiction. I wrote this after reading Armageddon, and while waiting for the Glorious Appearing to come out...)_

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After the call from Chang that Rayford was on his way, Mac McCullum tried Rayford's phone again, but got no answer. It wouldn't even give him a ring. Rayford must have switched it off, but he had no inkling why.

"C'mon, Ray, where are ya?" Mac mumbled, redialing. Nothing.

Beside him, Otto Weser shifted his directed energy weapon to his left arm and tapped him. "Mac, they're coming."

From his vantage point above the Siq, Mac turned and stared at the hundred million enemy troops with their ranks back in order and mounted properly on the horses once more. The horses moved about nervously as if anxious to start stampeding again, the ones hit by the DEWs readily exchanged for fresh animals. Hoofs pounded the ground, kicking up enough dust and sand to block out the sunlight. He had to wonder where the Unity Army bred so many black horses.

"How can we stop this impossible flood? We are like ants and they are like the elephant's foot." Otto cried.

George's voice crackled on their radio. "Big Dog 1 to southern perimeter, over."

"Mac here, Big Dog. You want another DEW round at them?"

"Standby on that, Mac. Ray there?"

"Negative, Dog. No contact."

"Keep an eye out then."

Mac raised the field glasses. The army fell into position almost simultaneously, and he spotted quite a few guns aiming for the perimeter.

Mac snatched the radio. "Take cover, people." he ordered. "They're having another go-round at us!" He dropped to the ground and pulled Otto down with him. They both lay flat and still, hands over their heads, waiting for the inevitable.

Immediately the bombs were launched. The shells flew thickly, screaming through the air and blowing sand and rocks loose from the impact of their explosion. Small avalanches of rolling dust slid down the steep inclines of Edom.

George Sebastian heard Mac's warning and had just enough time to jump behind the boulders for cover before the shells flew. Many of them passed the perimeter into inner Petra. He prayed none would injure the people they were trying to protect.

From inside the ancient city, Chang felt the bombs hit so close the concussion knocked him down. The heat was so searing hot it melted his computer.

_God, is this when the end comes? _He curled into a ball and stayed that way until the explosions ceased. Knees shaking, he got to his feet and looked around. Chaos was everywhere, many shacks were blown to matchsticks and fires had erupted. But the people, though shaken, were unscathed.

Unfortunately, Chang's computer was a different story.

When the sound of shells exploding died away somewhat, Mac decided it was safe enough to have a look round again. Climbing cautiously up the rampart that had the best view, he trained his field glasses at the Unity troops.

Otto pulled himself up next to him. "What do you see, Mac?"

"They seem to be taking up another tactic. I'm guessin' they're reloadin' an' reformin' their guns in order to bombard us with the heaviest artillery. Better inform George."

Otto climbed down the rock, and Mac again wondered where Rayford went. It wasn't like him to be this far behind schedule. Turning toward the middle of Petra, Mac stood up and searched with the binoculars around the perimeter where Rayford would have driven his off-road four-wheeler. A black columns of smoke rose into the sky everywhere he looked, making it hard to see anything. But one in particular caught his eye and he zoomed in. What he saw made his chest tight. A burning crater. Twisted metal. A body lying on the rocks.

It was Rayford all right.

"Otto! The radio! Quick!"

Otto hurried up beside him. Mac snatched the radio.

"Big Dog 1! This is southern perimeter! Come in!"

"Big Dog here. What's the problem, south? Another attack?"

Mac almost screamed into the radio. "I've just found the leader! We must get assistance over here now!"

"Repeat?"

"Need assistance, Dog!"

"Hold on, Mac." George said.

Mac looked at the smoldering wreck again. It appeared the four-wheeler had taken a direct hit. Thick black smoke from burning oil and gas rose slowly from the vehicle, but in the bombings, it appeared to only be another column of smoke, which was why Mac hadn't noticed it without a closer look. Now he had to get to Rayford and help.

Beside him, Otto suddenly cried out something Mac didn't quite understand.

"What are you talking about, Otto?" Mac yelled.

Pointing franticly at the army, Otto grabbed his arm and tried to yank him off the lookout where he was exposed—but he was too slow.

Suddenly there was an earsplitting rip and a bright flash of light split the air directly in front of where Mac was standing. The fireball engulfed him with white-hot combustibles and launched him into the air backwards. Before he could even think of reacting to shield his eyes, a flaming shard slammed into his face. He caught a brief glimpse of Otto being thrown the opposite direction, and then blackness. Flying through the air with no control over where he might land, he knew, even before he hit the ground.

_I'll be seeing you real soon then._

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"Hold on, Mac." George had to think. He didn't get what Mac was so excited about on the radio. If Otto wasn't enough help for Mac, or even with Rayford, how much help would it take? George felt frustrated and tensed with stress. Things were tight enough as it was, and it seemed like Mac was trying to pull every man into his division. He decided to first find out what the problem was.

George pressed the button. "No call, south peri. Unless you've got good reason for this. Over."

Static was all he heard.

"Repeat, what exactly is the problem over there?"

Only radio silence from Mac's side.

"South perimeter, come in."

Nothing.

George thought it was strange that he had no answer, especially considering Mac was all fired up for calling help, but he shrugged and laid it aside. He wasn't wasting his time trying to call up Mac if Mac wouldn't answer his question on the reason for assistance.

George peered at the enemy. They were coming closer, this time under a shield of artillery fire into Petra. The ground shook with hoofbeats and shells colliding into the earth.

"Hold your ground." George told everyone. "Do not attack till I say."

The huge black form closed in, two hundred yards from the cliffs and the Siq, their entrance to Petra.

Rayford Steele felt increasingly weak from his blood loss as he tried to ascend the incline with only one of his hands and one knee mobile. Heart thudding in his ears loudly and every muscle burning to the point of exhaustion, it took forever to climb as he pulled upward, ever aware of the danger of falling. Right now he was short of time.

The rumble of millions of hoofbeats rocked the earth, far enough away from his position for him to hear them. Rayford knew Mac would be watching for him, but when he didn't come, would Mac be worried enough to call someone? And even if he did call, would anyone try to look for him? From the sound of Carpathia's Unity army advancing, Rayford decided the Trib Force would be too busy to track him down, it would take all their strength and energy just to keep the army out of Petra.

And they wouldn't be held out long.


End file.
